Williams: What would Gus do? What guides Cincinnati Reds manager's dad amid joy, heartache

What would Gus do?

It’s been a guiding question for Buddy Bell ever since the former Reds third baseman and Moeller star became a father in 1972.

Through the decision to leave his team for the birth of his firstborn child, David. Through the highs of seeing two sons make it to the majors just like Buddy and his father, Gus Bell, did. Through raising a daughter with Down Syndrome. Through seeing David become manager of the hometown Cincinnati Reds.

And through the devastation of losing a child.

So what exactly would Gus do?

Buddy’s late father would always put his children over baseball – even with how important the game has been to one of Major League Baseball's third-generation families.

That’s what Buddy Bell, father of five, has always done, too.

“I had a great father,” Bell said in an hourlong chat ahead of Father’s Day. “Whenever I made a decision about my kids, I asked myself: ‘What would dad do? What would my dad think?’ I based a lot of my decisions on what would please my father because I had such respect for him.”

Buddy Bell leaves Cincinnati Reds job to heal from son's death

Bell, 72, admitted he left his front office job with the Reds last year partly because he hadn’t fully dealt with the death of his son, Mike, a former Moeller star like his father and two brothers. Mike Bell, the former big-league player and coach, lost his battle with kidney cancer in March 2021. He was 46.

Since leaving his role as Reds vice president/senior adviser early last season, Buddy has been doing what Gus would do: road trips to see family.

Buddy has 11 grandchildren, and he loves visiting them. He was in Oxford to watch his grandson, Jake Bell, play for Moeller in the Division I regional final against Mason on May 31. Buddy then drove to Fredericksburg, Virginia, to watch grandson, Luke Bell, pitch for the Chicago White Sox’s Class A team in a road series. Buddy was then driving to Atlanta to watch Jake play in a summer tournament.

“I hate missing anything the kids do – a recital, a graduation, a game,” Bell said. “When I’m with my grandkids, I often think my dad would’ve enjoyed this. He loved going to old ballparks, looking around and talking to people.”

The trips and time away from big-league baseball are helping Buddy come to grips with Mike’s death. Buddy’s time with Luke this month was particularly special. Luke, 23, signed by the White Sox organization out of Xavier University last year, is the eldest of Mike’s three children. Buddy and Luke talk almost every day.

“I love talking about Mike,” said Buddy, a five-time All-Star who spent 18 seasons playing in the majors for Cleveland, Texas, Cincinnati and Houston.

In all, Buddy spent 54 years in professional baseball as either a player, manager, coach or front office executive. During many winters when he was playing, he coached his sons' youth basketball teams.

When I talked to Buddy last summer, he didn’t want to say much about Mike. But Buddy opened up about him this time.

“I remember Mike calling and telling me the doctor just came in and said he only had a couple weeks to live,” Buddy said. “But you still hold out hope that it’s going to be OK. There are so many miracles out there, and you just hope Mike’s one of them. But it didn’t happen. He was in so much pain. When he passed away, it was almost a relief for me. It’s hard to explain. It’s so heartbreaking. I don’t think anything can prepare you for” the loss of a child.

Cincinnati Reds manager 'very similar' to grandfather Gus Bell

Buddy talks to David almost every day, too. They rarely talk about baseball. They talk about family. They talk a lot about Mike, who was the Minnesota Twins bench coach and trending toward becoming a big-league manager. He loved coaching.

“If one of the (young players) in the Reds clubhouse is having a problem, David and I talk about what would Mike do,” Buddy said. “He had a really good feel for the game and coaching. Mike went through a lot of stuff with mental health. He could be a big advocate for that with the players. He wasn’t afraid to talk about it.”

Gus Bell was relatable and intentional about regularly talking to his kids, too. He played 15 seasons in the big leagues, mostly with the Reds, before retiring in 1964. He was a four-time All-Star, all with the Reds. He and his wife, Joyce, raised seven children. Gus put his family first. Until his death in 1995, he did the same thing for his grandchildren that Buddy is doing – spending time with them.

“Dad was tough-minded, but compassionate,” Buddy said. “He could talk to the homeless guy on the street. It’s not that he felt like he had to. He cared. David is very similar.”

Son's birth or baseball? Buddy Bell's easy decision

Buddy Bell had a big decision leading up to Sept. 14, 1972. His then-wife, Gloria, was about to give birth to David.

Buddy was a 21-year-old rookie with Cleveland. The then-Indians were in Milwaukee for a series. On Sept. 13, Buddy went to manager Ken Aspromonte and told the skipper he was leaving to return to Cincinnati for his son’s birth.

“Back then, they didn’t let you go to your child’s birth, weddings, funerals in a lot of cases,” Bell said.

Bell recalled the conversation with his manager went like this:

Aspromonte: “You’re not going.”

Bell: “I’m going.”

Aspromonte: “You can’t go. The players are going to be pissed.”

Bell: “Listen, Ken, I need to be there. I’m not going to miss something like this for baseball.”

Bell played in the Sept. 13 night game at Milwaukee’s old County Stadium. He convinced someone to give him a ride to Chicago O’Hare Airport, where he hailed a taxi to drive him to the hospital in suburban Cincinnati. He pulled up to the hospital around 6 a.m., in time for David’s birth.

About the decision to leave his team, Buddy Bell said: “It wasn’t me thinking. It was what would my dad think. Obviously, I wanted to be there. This wasn't a hard decision.”

Bell rejoined his team on Sept. 15 in Boston.

“The players were pissed,” Bell said. “They didn’t want anything to do with me. I got fined.”

Bell couldn’t remember how much the fine was, but it was worth it.

“That was an awesome day,” he said of David's birthday.

Buddy Bell's daughter 'light of our lives'

Bell put family first at other times during the season, too. In 1986, when he was with the Reds, Bell went into then-manager Pete Rose’s office to ask for time off. Bell’s newborn daughter, Traci, was to undergo open heart surgery. Rose told Bell he could take all the time he needed, a conversation detailed in author Roger Kahn’s 1989 book, “Pete Rose: My Story.”

Bell’s younger child pulled through the surgery. Traci is 38 and has Down Syndrome. She loves the Reds, watches every pitch. Traci lives a short drive from the Reds’ spring training complex in Arizona and visits the club during camp. She was planning a trip to Cincinnati to watch the Reds this month.

“She is the light of all of our lives,” Buddy said. “She’s incredible. She really is.”

Buddy also still watches every pitch of the Reds. Buddy and Traci talk on the phone after every Reds game to breakdown the game. Sometimes, they do it in person when Buddy is staying at his home in Arizona. It’s what they’ve done for years, precious time they spend together.

Guess what? It’s what Gus would’ve done, too.

Contact Enquirer columnist Jason Williams at jwilliams@enquirer.com

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Fathers Day: What guides former MLB All-Star Buddy Bell amid joy, sorrow